Now for the Ashes. Australia secured the first and biggest (physically) of the two trophies they hope to bring home with them from England by wrapping up victory over India in the World Test Championship final, winning in the end by an emphatic 209 runs after a performance that, for all the penultimate-day catch-related micro-controversy, demonstrated unarguable superiority.
For India there would be no miracle. For them to have pulled off what would have been a world-record run chase, or even for them to cling on for the draw that would have seen them share the trophy, they needed Virat Kohli to pull a rabbit out of the hat – and to do it very slowly. He lasted exactly half an hour.
Related: World Test Championship final: Australia beat India by 209 runs – live reaction
Scott Boland looks an unlikely sporting hero. He has the build of a farmyard labourer, as if he might be as good at shifting bales of hay as he turns out to be at shifting batters. After each delivery he walks back to the mark in the manner of someone who is not at all keen on actually getting there. There is not so much a spring in his step as a winter, deep and dark and foreboding.
He bowled the first over of the day, a crowd still full of optimism cheering even the dot balls, and there were six of them. Pat Cummins took the second over, as India slowly felt their way into their work. Ajinkya Rahane hit to point for a couple, Kohli running forwards for the first and jogging backwards for the second, eye always on the ball. If he wasn’t wearing spikes he would probably have been moonwalking. “Kohli, Kohli, Kohli,” they chanted.
And then the crowd fell quiet. The decisive over started oddly, Kohli on strike, the ball beating the bat, Alex Carey collecting, nobody really appealing but Australia – urged, it seemed, by Marnus Labuschagne at point – deciding to review anyway and finding that UltraEdge also thought it was not out. Two balls later it was; Kohli getting a thick edge and Steve Smith taking an excellent catch at second slip, diving to his right to collect it two-handed. Australia have done a lot well this week, but Smith at slip and Cameron Green at gully are spectacular assets. Two balls later Ravindra Jadeja followed, nicking through to Carey, and from there it was a matter of time.
In other circumstances Rahane’s innings might get the attention it deserved. There were some lovely shots, and two immaculately-timed straight drives in successive Mitchell Starc overs. But soon Rahane was gone, timing on this occasion awry and the Starc delivery kissing the edge on its way to Carey. Rahane scored 46, three fewer than Kohli, and left India’s tail fully exposed. Nathan Lyon did the rest, taking three of the four remaining wickets including the last, as Mohammed Siraj reverse swept straight to backward point where Boland stood, ready to be the matchwinner.
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